Rhodes Town

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Geo: 36.4044, 25.3959

Today we are in Rhodes. Rhodes Town to be specific. This is my second time here having visited in 2015 on Celebrity Constellation. I recall that time being extremely hot and the pair of us getting a little lost and ending up walking almost an entire circuit of the old town through the dry moat that surrounds it. We also recall an encounter with a group of Nigerian Women selling wristbands who were a little zealous in the selling of said wristbands. From memory they would offer to shake your hand and then with some sleight of hand tie a band onto your wrist and then demand payment. We were prepared.

We sally forth from Reflection heading towards St Mary's Gate which is the first point of entry into the old walled city. We recall a small cafe from our last visit that is just a short walk from the gate where we order coffee and make use of the wifi. Wifi on the ship has been haphazard at best so it's nice to use something more stable. From the cafe we stroll through the small narrow streets and whilst not as picture postcard perfect as Mykonos it does feel more Greek to me. Mykonos had an air of superficiality to me, almost too perfect and theme park like.

There is a myriad of shops to look at. Lots of lace, fur and ceramics are on offer along with the more traditional souvenir shops. Rhodes Town seems overrun with cats. They are on almost every corner basking in the morning sunshine. We find ourselves near he impressive Palace of the Grandmasters where the Knights Hospitallers, the strongest military order in the whole of Christendom, held their seat of power in the Eastern Mediterranean during the 15th century. We then walk down the Ippoton which is a wonderfully preserved street of medieval architecture.

The temperature is slowly rising and so we find another cafe for cold drinks before heading out of the city to the waterfront. Sure enough we spy the Nigerian Ladies and give them a very wide berth. We walk along the pretty harbour front to the spot where the Collosus of Rhodes was said to have stood. Two deer now mark the spot where it's feet stood. We head into a nearby church and Peter lights a candle in memory of the Manchester bomb victims.

Another stop for coffee/wifi before heading back up into the walled city. We head towards the centre where we decide to lunch in one of the rooftop tavernas. We have an excellent view of the pretty little square below which is now very busy with tourists. Apart from Reflection there are two other cruise ships in port albeit a lot smaller than us. We enjoy beer and Greek salads before heading down and buy some olive oil soaps which is a speciality here.

It's now mid afternoon so we head back to the cool air conditioned Reflection. We use the excuse that we only had a light lunch to grab some sandwiches from the Oceanview. Just before we are due to leave we head up to the top deck for sail away. We have to wait for one of the other cruise ships and a ferry to leave ahead of us before reversing out and spinning 180 degrees and then heading westwards.

Dinner tonight is in Qsine. I was a little apprehensive about this place. All I knew about it was the food was a fusion from different countries and you used an iPad to order from. To me it sounded a little gimmicky and was sure would need to visit the buffet afterwards as would still be hungry. I was wrong. The venue, concept and food was amazing. Was a little tricky to understand at first but basically there was a choice of 20 dishes to choose from. We didn't have clue how many to order or in which order. However, our waiter was very helpful. He said to pick about five and he would ensure they were delivered to the table in the best order depending on our choices.

We ordered Disco Shrimp, Mmm Favourites, Royal Taco, Taj Mahal, Turkish Kebobs and Meatball Madness. Disco shrimp arrived first. It was served in a glass bowl that had flashing lights at the bottom. Was delicious. Next to arrive was the Mmm Favourites. A small petite waitress appeared at our table exclaiming she had found our lost luggage. She then hauled onto our table a large wooden structure with a handle at the top. 12 compartments housed a myriad of delicious treats. Hummus, Tzatziki, shrimp, chicken skewers, chilli, olives, lamb chops. Every single one was delicious. At this point we began to realise we may have ordered too much as the Royal Tacos appeared next. Our waiter hand made the guacamole to our specification at the table. The beef tacos themselves were wonderful. Taj Mahal was next. A tower of small individual curries. Rogan Josh, Tikka Masala, Chickpea Dahl, Shrimp curry. Only very small portions, enough for a spoonful each but oh so nice. Before we had finished the Turkish Kebobs arrived and these were the best. The chicken was so tender and flavourful all presented on a bed of saffron rice. Sadly at this point we were feeling stuffed and couldn't eat it all and we had to tell them to hold the meatballs as well. Dessert too was declined as buttons were a popping. The waiter did insist on us having one of their fruit lollipops which was a strawberry dipped in sprinkles with a small creme anglais pot at the side.

After all that our plans for the rest of the evening went out of the window as we were so full. We ordered a couple of brandies at the bar before heading back to our cabin where we turned the lights off at 11.15. An early night for us.

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